The Kenyan Embassy and the Kenya Tourism Board organized a new weeklong training program in Seoul and Busan for about 80 tour operators from Feb. 3 to upgrade their skills on how to market Kenya as a tourist destination.The training program was organized as a follow-up to the recent introduction of direct flights in June by Korean Air between Incheon International Airport and Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in the Kenyan capital city of Nairobi. The training session was conducted by travel i

Pakistan’s Kashmir Solidarity Day was observed by the Pakistani Embassy in Seoul and Friends of Kashmir Association, a Korean support group that counts two former Korean ambassadors and a retired general as members, at a local restaurant on Feb. 5.Kashmir Solidarity Day has been observed annually since 1990 in Kashmir and around the world as a day of protest against Indian control over part of Kashmir.Pakistani Ambassador to Korea Shaukat Ali Mukadam said in a speech at the event that the day is

For the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Madagascar could mean more than a potential foray into computer-animated comedy. It could mean food security and biofuel exports worth billions of dollars ― indeed, more than half of all imports of corn for Korea, the world’s third-largest importer of the crop. That is why Korean diplomats are working hard to help Daewoo Logistics regain a huge land deal it lost after a 2009 coup d’etat in the island nation in anticipation of new elections slated fo

Foreign Minister nominee Yun Byung-se is the architect of President-elect Park Geun-hye’s policy of reengaging North Korea and is tasked to save it from derailment amid escalating tension following the belligerent neighbor’s new nuclear brinkmanship.The 60-year-old former career diplomat was named the nation’s foreign affairs chief to assist the incoming leader in coping with regional uncertainties such as revived nationalism in Japan and the ever-complicated rivalry between the U.S. and China.H

United States Ambassador Sung Kim said North Korea must avoid a provocative nuclear test and return to an “authentic and credible diplomatic process” in opening remarks that also underscored this year’s 60th anniversary of the U.S.-Korean Defense Treaty at an international conference in Seoul on Tuesday.“(North Korea) has raised a series of requests from the international community ranging from a peace treaty, to normalization of relations, to lifting economic sanctions. Our consistent position

Southeast Asian ambassadors in Korea met with Korea’s chief ASEAN envoy here to explore ways to enhance ties between Korea and the Association of Southeast Nations during a meeting at the ASEAN-Korea Center in downtown Seoul on Tuesday.ASEAN-Korea Center Ambassador Chung Hae-moon met with the 10 ASEAN ambassadors to Korea to discuss how the ASEAN Committee in Seoul and the ASEAN Korea Center could “cooperate to move the ASEAN-Korea partnership forward toward a shared goal of progress and prosper

New French Ambassador to Korea Jerome Pasquier said his No. 1 priority as his country’s top diplomat in Korea was “economic diplomacy,” and that he wanted to start his posting here by listening to suggestions from the French business community and its Korean partners.Pasquier said he would like to hear from the French community in Korea as well ― but especially suggestions and opinions from entrepreneurs on how to make doing business in Korea easier for French companies. He said he would make ec

Peruvian Ambassador to Korea Jaime Pomaredo presents his Letter of Credence to President Lee Myung-bak at Chong Wa Dae in a ceremony that officially begins Pomaredo’s posting as his nation’s chief diplomatic representative in Korea.  

Russian Foreign Service Officers celebrated Diplomatic Service Day, a special holiday for diplomats in Russia, with many foreign envoys and Korean diplomats at the Russian Embassy in downtown Seoul on Thursday.“Our professional holiday is aimed at the confirmation of the value of deep traditions of the Russian diplomatic service and underlining a very important role of diplomacy in the modern world,” said Russian Ambassador to Korea Konstantin V. Vnukov in a speech during a reception at the cele

Well known for his dovish and docile temperament, Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan took center stage after going head-to-head with the mighty presidential transition team on Monday over its plan to unhitch trade functions from his agency. The controversy pivots around President-elect Park Geun-hye’s envisioned transfer of the ministry’s trade-related operations to a newly expanded Ministry of Knowledge Economy, which will be renamed the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Energy. After weeks of appare